


love, teddy

by cappuchoni, toniboonch



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Bears, F/F, Fluff, Origin Story, Softness, Teddy Bears
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-24
Updated: 2020-01-24
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:42:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22391227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cappuchoni/pseuds/cappuchoni, https://archiveofourown.org/users/toniboonch/pseuds/toniboonch
Summary: Cheryl has always loved bears. From the time she was a little girl, she always wanted bears. It was an obsession that would rival her love of the color red. Their cuddly exterior brought a sense of comfort to the girl, comfort she was denied by both of her parents. It gave her something warm to cling to when she was alone.
Relationships: Cheryl Blossom/Toni Topaz
Comments: 13
Kudos: 140





	love, teddy

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was inspired by a tweet by [cherylbombshells](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherylbombshells).
> 
> Hope you are all in the mood for something soft. Enjoy!

Cheryl has always loved bears. From the time she was a little girl, she always wanted bears. It was an obsession that would rival her love of the color red. Their cuddly exterior brought a sense of comfort to the girl, comfort she was denied by both of her parents. It gave her something warm to cling to when she was alone. The obsession and comfort soon stretched to her clothing, school supplies, and even her hobbies.

The first time she found an interest in drawing was when she drew a teddy bear. She shaded it a bright red and added a purple bow around its neck. It excited her to draw things she loved, and her bedroom walls were soon decorated, seemingly from floor to ceiling, in her artwork.

She brought her cuddly portfolio to school with her, working on the drawings between assignments. The beautiful art turned heads of the students around her, and she felt pride fill her chest. Cheryl liked when people enjoyed what she did.

But young Cheryl soon learned that others would take any opportunity to ruin something good.

_Armed with her cuddly bear embroidered backpack, lunchbox, and her twin by her side, the small redhead felt like she had the school under her thumb. Despite the confidence ten year old Cheryl exuded, she had experienced something that she only thought would happen in her hellish household._

_Bullying._

_The other children seemed to have an intense distaste for one of the only things that brought her comfort. It was as if her mother’s words had somehow reached their small ears, ripping her apart for gripping onto childlike tendencies._

_They were children after all. Why did they have to mature so quickly?_

_“You’re such a baby, Cheryl,” Reggie teased, poking fun at the girl. The small girl rolled her eyes, placing her lunch box on the table. Jason wasn’t around to keep his annoying friend at bay. “Like why do you like teddy bears so much?”_

_“Because I do,” Cheryl stated, a matter of factly._

_“Baby Blossom,” Reggie smirked, pushing her aluminum lunch box off the table, denting the corner._

_“Reggie,” Cheryl whined, tears pricking in her eyes. Her favorite lunch box was ruined. No doubt she would be severely reprimanded when she arrived home, and without Jason there to vouch for her, she knew she had no defense._

_“Reggie, leave her alone,” a blonde girl spoke up, walking over to the skinny boy. Cheryl remembered her name being Heather, but they were in different classes so they had never spoken._

_“No,” Reggie said, stomping his foot. “I don’t have to.”_

_“You’re stupid,” she griped back. “And no one likes you.”_

_Sure, the insults were juvenile, but at the time_ ** _devastating_**. _Reggie instantly reeled back at her words, almost cowering._

_“People… people like me!” he argued back._

_“Nope! I know they don’t! Because you’re stupid… **and** ugly.”_

_Reggie’s jaw went slack, and his eyes dropped to his shoes. “Whatever,” he grumbled, hurriedly running away._

_“People leave you alone if you’re mean back to them,” Heather explained, turning her attention to the redhead._

_“Thank you for helping me,” Cheryl swallowed._

_“No problem. I like your backpack,” she smiled before rushing away to a crowded table. Cheryl studied her for a moment before turning back to her lunch._

_While teddy bears gave her comfort, she soon realized the animal they were dubbed after had a ferocity she couldn’t ignore. She began to channeled that into her own attitude. Sweet and soft to the few who deserved it, mean and aggressive when deemed necessary._

_Heather had taught her a lesson that day, and many more after that. People began to leave their teasing comments to themselves when she hurled insults back at them. This left her free to enjoy her backpack and lunch box without fear, and she began to personally relate with the fluffy object of her obsession, making the bond even stronger._

Over the years, her love for the animal only grew. Jason would randomly surprise her with anything he found with the creature featured. She had various bear pattern pencils, socks, and blankets. Every new addition was welcome, and it warmed her heart knowing her brother constantly had her in mind.

For her thirteenth birthday, Jason had given her a gummy bear shaped lounge chair, which still sits in the corner of her room. She’s never used it, afraid sitting on it would cause it to break. It’s strictly for décor, something Toni learned the first night after moving in.

_“As I said, TT,” Cheryl began, gesturing to her bed, “my four poster bed, is your four poster bed.”_

_Toni smiled widely at her girlfriend, “Thanks, Cher.”_

_“I cleared a drawer for you, please feel free to lay your items on the bed so we can decide how to properly organize,” the redhead replied, going into her closet to ensure the space she left for her girlfriend had not been cluttered by her wardrobe._

_Toni walked around the bed, seeing a chair covered by a fluffy blanket in the corner. She haphazardly threw her full backpack onto the chair and began unpacking, laying her items on the bed just as requested._

_“TT?” a strained voice called out._

_Toni turned to the redhead with an arched eyebrow. Her hands were clasped in her typical nervous fashion as her brown eyes glanced from the pinkette to the chair._

_“Yeah?” Toni asked._

_“Could you… **please** remove your bag from that chair,” Cheryl asked gently as she slowly walked over to her girlfriend._

_Toni eyed her figgity hand movements and quickly complied, setting the dingy backpack on the floor instead. “I’m sorry.”_

_Cheryl huffed, “It’s **fine** , but for future reference that chair is for décor **only**.”_

_“Babe?” the shorter girl asked, confused at her girlfriend’s reaction. “Is everything okay?”_

_“Perfect as always, ma chérie,” Cheryl responded, pretending everything was fine. Inwardly, she was a storm, trying to keep her anger at bay as to not offend the one person she never wanted to lash out towards._

_“If something’s wrong, you can tell me, Cher,” Toni reminded. “I didn’t realize it was an issue. I swear.”_

_Cheryl sighed, “I know you didn’t. I apologize for my attitude. Please excuse me; I’m not used to sharing my space. I merely need to learn to adapt. Be patient with me?”_

_“Of course,” Toni assured. “This is new for both of us. What even is that chair anyways? I’ve never noticed it,” she inquired, trying to keep the conversation light._

_Cheryl stood silently for a moment, trying to decide how to properly out her obsession._

_“Cher?”_

_“That chair was a gift from my dear brother. I’ve always been afraid of ruining it.”_

_“Oh, so that’s why you didn’t want this shitty thing on it,” Toni chuckled, kicking her bag._

_“Precisely, TT,” Cheryl responded, letting out a sigh of relief when Toni nodded in understanding._

_“Can I at least look at it?”_

_“You may,” the redhead said quietly. She watched as her girlfriend gently pulled back the blanket that covered the gift._

_Toni observed it for a few seconds, a carefree smile stretching across her face. “It looks like a gummy bear, it’s... adorable. **You’re** adorable,” the pinkette responded, lowering the blanket._

_Cheryl smiled as Toni removed the distance in between them for a soft kiss. “JJ knew of my fondness for bears and red…” she hummed, kissing her girlfriend again. Toni’s hand cupped her cheek as they continued to kiss. “I am sorry, TT. I just have very few things left from my brother and have been desperately trying to preserve them.”_

_“I get it. You don’t have to apologize,” Toni replied pecking her over and over._

_“I was rude to you,” the redhead insisted. “Please let me apologize for that.”_

_“No apologies needed, babe. **But** , you know what would make it up to me though?” Toni asked with a smirk. She licked her bottom lip while gently caressing her girlfriend’s sides._

_“I have an idea, yes.”_

_“So,” the pinkette paused, “do you want to?”_

_“Christening **our** bed does sound like a splendid idea. We do have to be quiet though, Nana Rose is not near as deaf as she is blind.”_

_Toni laughed, pushing her girlfriend gently on the bed behind her, “She hasn’t caught us yet.”_

The most prominent bear is Henry, another gift from her brother. Henry was given to her just before he left that fateful and heart wrenching summer ahead of their Sophomore year. He had given her the large, red teddy bear in advance of their drive to Sweetwater River. It was the last gift Jason had ever given her.

Cheryl often held the bear close when she was especially missing her brother; it felt like her last piece of him, despite having countless other artifacts. The size of the bear mimicked her own brother’s broad shoulders and tight hugs. The gesture came from his heart, which had always mattered more than any picture or piece of remembrance of her twin.

When Cheryl saw the bear or hugged him, it was as if Jason was there watching over her. It brought the redhead the utmost amount of comfort. She remembered holding it in a crushing hug the second the bear was placed into her arms by her brother.

_“He’s to keep you company until we see each other again,” he said._

_Cheryl hugged the bear tightly in her arms, “His hugs aren’t near as warm as yours, JJ.”_

_Jason embraced his sister, “Maybe, but I didn’t want to leave you alone. Let him look after you until I return.”_

That was the last bear Cheryl ever received. It didn’t feel right buying them for herself, they were gifts. The redhead assumed she’d never have a new bear again, part of the reason she held on to those she had so desperately. There was one thing she didn’t count on: her girlfriend.

Toni had seen how much Cheryl loved bears, more so than just mementos from her late brother. Cheryl had many things from Jason; they were the only things she had deemed worth saving before lighting fire to her childhood home. The bears were different for some reason, and Toni wanted Cheryl to know she had been paying attention. She wanted her to know she cared.

So Toni scoured each little shop in Riverdale, desperate to find the perfect one. A bear that reflected and fit in with the gifts from Jason, but one that also represented her. Their room was beginning to have more of the pinkette’s influence and touch; she hoped the bear would be another welcomed addition.

Toni eventually picked out a small bear, ensuring it would be easy to hold. She chose a dark color so it stood out among the red, but it’s face was very reminiscent of Henry.

The little guy was _perfect_. She hoped her girlfriend thought so too.

“I got you something, Cher,” Toni said excitedly, holding a red bag in her hand.

“What’s this, mon trésor?”

Toni handed her the gift bag, “I saw this, and I don’t know, I just wanted you to have it.”

“You did?” Cheryl asked in disbelief. After so much time together, the redhead still had trouble believing it was real.

“Of course, babe,” the pinkette smiled. “Now open it. I want to see your face.”

Cheryl pulled a small, brown bear from within the tissue paper. She sat the bag down and examined the stuffed animal in her hand. “A teddy bear?”

“I know Jason used to give you bears,” Toni said, “but I thought maybe it would be okay if I continued the tradition?”

The redhead looked up from the bear in her hand, tears streaming down her face. “It’s perfectly okay, TT. Thank you.”

“So… you like him?”

Cheryl nodded, “Very much.”

“I figured you could pick out a name for him,” Toni said as she reached up to wipe the tears from her girlfriend’s face.

Cheryl sniffed slightly, smiling as she looked down at the bear, “Simon.”

“Simon?” Toni echoed with a nod of approval.

“Yes, after the movie that brought us together.”

“It’s perfect, baby,” Toni replied, giving her a chaste but loving kiss.

The bear remained on their bed, laying against the red satin pillows. Each night, Cheryl would gently remove him and sit him on the red gummy chair for safe keeping. It wasn’t what Toni had intended, but she was happy to see Cheryl appeared to care deeply for her gift, as she did with the rest of her collection.

It wasn’t until the redhead’s dreadful relatives came to town that there was a shift. Toni smiled softly at her slumbering girlfriend, the bear tucked into her pale arms. Her face looked so peaceful despite the horrid family members that awaited her downstairs. The pinkette gently stroked Cheryl’s arm, watching fondly as the redhead shifted and pulled Simon closer to her chest. Toni quickly realized she had picked out the perfect addition for Cheryl’s collection; the redhead couldn’t go a day without holding him, and with the recent crazy events, it was nice to know her girl had another thing to turn to in her time of need.

From that night onward, Cheryl wouldn’t sleep without the bear at arms length, keeping him close by in case she needed an extra bit of security during the night. Toni didn’t mind. Cheryl would often snuggle into her side, bear in tow.

After seeing how a single bear could bring such comfort to her girlfriend, Toni couldn’t stop. For years, whenever the pinkette would see a bear, she’d buy it for her girlfriend. Cheryl told her it was too much on more than one occasion, but Toni didn’t listen. The smile upon her girlfriend’s face every time she opened a new spontaneous gift was all the encouragement she needed.

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, the origin story in the tags was for the bears. 🤪


End file.
